Pull Me Back
by Live. Out. Loud
Summary: I wanted to protect her but I hurt her instead. The only one who tried to pull me back from the edge. Masaomi is still grieving over what happened to Mika when he meets Rowan. Will she pull him out of the dark or will history repeat itself? MasaomiXOC
1. Prologue

_Pull Me Back_

_Prologue_

The thin scrap of yellow fabric around my neck had suddenly become heavy and suffocating. I slid a finger under the knot and pulled it gently away from my throat so I could get more air, but I was still feeling breathless.

_What have I done?_

I hardly noticed the rain falling in thick sheets on the streets of Ikebukuro as I slipped unnoticed into an empty side street. Other people were dashing onto the sidewalks searching for a dry place to wait out the rain, using newspapers, handbags, whatever they could find to cover their heads. But I couldn't be bothered with the rain even as it soaked me through, gluing my hair to my face and my clothes to my body. Not when I had other things on my mind.

_What have I done?_

I had been teetering on the edge when she appeared. She had grabbed me and refused to let me go, holding me back. And what had I done? I had pushed her away and let myself plummet into darkness.

I could have stopped. _Why hadn't I stopped?_

She had already been through so much and then I had to go and hurt her more. Making her worry about me, and eventually betraying her trust and lying to her.

I only wanted to protect her, but it seems I only made it worse.

_What have I done?_

I had found myself on a street that always seemed to be empty this late at night. There were only a few stragglers hanging out on the sidewalks. They didn't bother me and I didn't bother them. I just kept walking.

I stared at the angry reflections of the bright neon signs on the slick road as I walked over them. There were so many of them, glaring from shop windows. They were blinding. I kept my eyes on the ground, watching my shoes slap against the black tar through the driving rain.

There were less and less lights the further I walked, and when I finally looked up I noticed for the first time that the street truly was empty. And I was alone.

I stopped and stood there, right in the middle of the street. I just stood there.

Slowly I turned my face to sky, feeling the cool raindrops hit my face. Through the rain I could just make out the stars in between storm clouds, winking down at me, and the large round moon, pale and lonely. The rain hadn't let up at all. It just came down, rushing past me. My ears were filled with sound.

Was it always so loud? The breaking of a heart? Of two hearts?

It sounded like thunder and rushing winds and the barely audible tinkling of shattered glass.

I hadn't realized I had been crying until I tasted salt in my mouth. My tears mixed with the rain and slid silently down my face.

_What have I done?_

I reached up with shaking fingers, and grabbed hold of an end of my scarf. With as much force as I could muster, I angrily yanked the scarf from my neck. I let it hang limply by my side, my grip going slack, still staring at the heavens. "Damn it all," I whispered.

The scarf slipped out of my fingers and fluttered silently to the cold, wet ground where it laid there like a yellow stain. Or a scar.

I let my anger build, let all of my self-hatred condense inside my chest. And then I set it free. "DAMN IT ALL!" I screamed at the sky, at the rain, at myself. At nothing. Instantly the fiery anger left me and I felt weak.

What had I done? I had ruined my only chance at living a happy, peaceful life.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

* * *

The sun fell across their shoulders, warm and bright, as Masaomi Kida, Mikado Ryugamine, and Anri Sonohara flew down the crowded sidewalks of the city.

It was a Tuesday, just like any other, except that on this Tuesday the trio were about to be late for school, all because Shizuo Heiwajima had throw a couple of parked cars and blocked traffic, both on the street and on the sidewalk. The blockade forced the three friends to take a detour through several busy streets, looping around until they were able to get back on their usual route. Unfortunately, this took longer than expected.

Masaomi led the small group, gently forming a path through the thick crowds of people. Some people grunted as they pushed past and one man even glared at them, but they couldn't slow down for fear of getting swept up in the rushing river of people going to work.

Finally Masaomi broke out into a clear patch of space with less people, allowing them to break from their slow jogs and relax into a fast walk.

"Masaomi!" Mikado's voice cried out, shrill and panicked.

Masaomi turned. And to his exasperation, there was Mikado, stuck in-between two business men on their way to work. They were moving quite fast, fast enough not to notice the high school boy they were sweeping away between them.

Masaomi and Anri rushed back to his side, each of them grabbing one of Mikado's flailing arms. With swift and strong tugs the two were able to pull him out of his dilemma, popping him out from between the two men like a cork from a wine bottle. The men hardly seemed to notice as they continued on, expensive coats flapping behind them, talking animatedly on cell phones.

"Thanks," Mikado said sheepishly. He was obviously embarrassed by the way he rubbed the back of his head, cheeks tinting pink. Anri smiled and nodded her head.

Masaomi tutted. "Honestly, Mikado," he sighed. "You need to be more assertive. Don't let yourself get swept away so easily!" He waved a hand carelessly in the air as he turned back and continued on towards school.

Mikado could only laugh awkwardly in return.

And that was when Masaomi saw her.

She was standing on the very edge of the sidewalk, her back to the bustling life on the pavement and staring out across the crosswalk, swaying slightly back and forth as though she was unsure whether to cross the street or not. When the green walk sign flashed she stayed where she was, letting floods of people flow around her until the light turned red again.

Her hair was what caught his attention most. It was a dark blonde, almost light brown and swung loosely just below her shoulders. Masaomi had never seen such an unusual shade before and reasoned that it had to be dyed, though he was skeptic. It looked soft and shone brilliantly in the morning light.

He also couldn't help but notice her body. She was thin, but not too thin with just the right amount of curves. Her skirt showed off her long, slender – slightly muscular – legs without being too revealing. And her skin was a lovely cream color which contrasted nicely with her dark hair. Masaomi slowed to a stop. He was completely taken aback by this mystery girl.

She turned slightly and he could see a small map of Ikebukuro clutched in her little hand. She would look at the map, then up at the city, then back to the map again, comparing the pictures with reality.

_Hmmm…a newcomer, _Masaomi thought. _Perhaps I should go and help her out, give her directions…_

A hand was pulling at his sleeve. "Come on, Masaomi. We're going to be late." Mikado's eyebrows were knotted together, concerned as his eyes darted to a large clock tower.

The mystery girl still stood on the sidewalk, bent over the map. Masaomi hated to abandon such a perfect opportunity to hit on a girl, but they were going to be late. If only she could have turned around he thought dejectedly, so he could have at least seen her face.

With a resigned sigh, Masaomi let Mikado tug him into a run, weaving in between the men and women on the street as they continued on to school.

Masaomi allowed himself one last desperate look over his shoulder, but she was already out of sight, swallowed up by the raging sea of people.

School went by in a blur for Masaomi. Though he tried his hardest to pay attention in class, his mind kept wandering back to the girl. _If only she had turned around, _he thought, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout, _then I would have at least been able to see her face._

Still, she made for a refreshing change from the girls Masaomi usually hit on. Not only because of her hair, but the fact that she was new to Ikebukuro had peaked his interest. Where was she from? And why was she here?

Masaomi hoped he would have another chance to find out.

* * *

The next morning, Masaomi, Mikado and Anri were on their usual route to school, right on schedule. When they were approaching the spot where Masaomi had first seen the girl, he started searching for her. He scanned the streets up, down, left and right. He peered into shop windows, around corners. He even checked behind a few dumpsters.

She was nowhere to be found.

* * *

It was dark by the time Masaomi started heading home. It had been a rather dull uneventful day.

First, he and Mikado went to the park to hit on some girls (more specifically, Masaomi went to hit on girls while Mikado sat on the sidelines). Unfortunately, despite the massive amounts of charm Masaomi turned on the ladies, he had had no takers. After their unsuccessful trip, Mikado had to return home to do homework so the two parted ways and just as Masaomi was about to head home himself, he ran into Erica and Walker. The two were on their way to the bookstore and insisted on Masaomi coming with them, despite his many attempts at a polite refusal. Two and a half hours later, he left Erica and Walker to their own devices, silently wishing the book store clerk good luck.

He passed by Russia Sushi, exchanged a few words with Simon, had a quick bite to eat, and finally set off in the direction of home.

To make up for lost time, Masaomi decided to take a short cut through some side streets leading into a quieter part of the city.

It was getting dark and the silence of the streets only seemed to amplify the night. It was starting to get colder at night. Masaomi pulled his school jacket tighter around himself as a cool breeze blew through him.

A couple walked past him on the sidewalk, arms locked together tightly as they shielded each other from the little gust of wind, giggling in their happy-little-couple way, heads bowed down to each other. The man whispered something to the girl, something Masaomi couldn't hear. Whatever it was it was obviously romantic because the girl sighed dreamily, snuggling her face into her boyfriend's shoulder as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Masaomi watched them for a while, disappearing down the street. Suddenly his solitary footsteps sounded so much louder.

Did he want that? He wasn't sure. He certainly couldn't see himself being as smooth and romantic as that man had been with his girlfriend. No, he didn't want that. But he wanted…something. He just didn't know what.

Maybe that was why he liked hitting on girls so much. There was no commitment, just some fun, harmless flirting. Not that it ever seemed to work, but he wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even himself. If only Mikado would help him, then the two could team up and—

A deep, throaty laugh pulled Masaomi from his thoughts.

Masaomi's head snapped up. He scanned the streets left and right, but of the people walking by none of them seemed to be the source of the laughter. Then he heard it again, followed by two other voices, just as deep with a hint of hysterical excitement nearby.

Just ahead of him, Masaomi saw the yawning entrance of a dark alleyway. It was hard to see, but he was able to make out four figures just within reach of the dim light of a nearby lamp post, all standing just inside the alleyway. Masaomi made another sweep of the street but he seemed to be the only one to notice the shady looking group.

Carefully, Masaomi crept a little closer. He didn't want to scare them away until he knew what was going on.

Soon he was able to distinguish the four people. There were three guys – they had to be the source of the laughter, Masaomi reasoned – and one girl. They didn't seem to be doing anything, just standing around, talking quietly. It seemed innocent enough; he was probably just over reacting. Masaomi was just about to continue down the street and leave them to their own business when he took a closer look at the girl.

Her slim fingers were peeking out of the opening of the alleyway, curled around the corner of the brick wall. They were a nice creamy color and they looked very smooth and soft. But her knuckles were white, too white, as though she were gripping the brick with dear life. Masaomi looked back into the alleyway.

It didn't take long for him to realize that something was very wrong.

The girl had her back pressed flat against the wall, as if she could sink into it if she pressed hard enough. The guys around her weren't just idly standing around as Masaomi had originally thought. They had actually formed a tight semi-circle around her, blocking her from all sides and closing in fast. She was trapped.

"Hey, baby," the tallest one stepped closer, reaching a hand out to pluck a lock of her blond hair from her shoulder, twirling it gently around his finger. "What's a nice looking girl like you doing out here all alone?" Masaomi saw that the guy's shirt was a dull orange. He quickly glanced at the other two and noticed that they were wearing the same color in their clothing. A color gang.

They hadn't noticed him yet. Good. Without thinking, Masaomi dashed behind a nearby dumpster on the other side of the street, peeking around it, keeping his attention focused on the girl.

God, she was terrified. Even from where he was standing, and with the poor lighting, he could see her wide eyes, her trembling body. And she had a right to be scared. These guys were some of the scummiest looking gang members Masaomi had ever seen. God only knows what foul thoughts were racing through their minds.

The three slowing stepped into the faint pool of light, like a single person, and Masaomi could finally see more of their faces. The one standing closest to the street had long hair pulled back in a low ponytail. His eyes were droopy and he looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. But that didn't make his lazy smirk any more menacing. Sharp, jerky movements brought Masaomi's attention further into the alley where he saw the shortest of the three. He was hoping from one foot to the other, jittery, as though the whole situation filled him with glee. His face reminded Masaomi of a rat. An evil, little sewer rat. That brought Masaomi to the tallest one last, the one who had spoken. He was the most intimidating of all with his dark hair in what looked like dreadlocks, held back by a thick bandana tied around his forehead and stocky, looming figure. A long scar disfigured his face, the puckered skin running from his right eye all the way to his chin. Looking at them, none of them seemed more than a few years older than himself and the girl. They were truly a horrid group.

_And yet unimpressive_, Masaomi thought, that tiny voice of experience bubbling up from some old part his mind. A part of his past he wanted to forget. He shook his head and pushed the voice back into the dark recesses of his memory. His attention was needed elsewhere.

The girl whimpered; a short, barely audible sound that Masaomi had to strain to hear. Of course the gang members could hear it just fine. They chuckled, obviously pleased that they had evoked some kind of fearful reaction out of her. She hadn't meant for them to hear and Masaomi could see her mouth clamp shut so it wouldn't happen again.

Suddenly Masaomi felt sorry for her. He didn't like to pity others because he hated it when people pitied him, but he just couldn't help it. She just looked so scared and defenseless. No one deserved to be in her situation.

Still, he couldn't be sure that they would actually _do _anything to the girl. They could just be bullying her because she was weaker than them as a way to make themselves feel tough, as he had seen so many others do before. He didn't want to start something unless it was absolutely necessary. But to be picking on a girl, even for common thugs like them, was just…_low._

Masaomi snapped back to attention when the tall boy took another step closer and the other two started snickering. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't be wandering around at night." The fingers he had in the girl's hair moved to rest on her shoulder. She pressed herself even harder into the wall. "Something bad might happen." His smile turned into a sickening grin as his fingers slipped under the shoulder of her shirt, snaking under her bra strap.

_Oh, crap! _Masaomi leapt out from behind the dumpster, charging for the alley. A sudden spark of white hot anger had flared up in his chest and started to burn. Those bastards were going to rape her, and he would be damned before he let that happened.

But before Masaomi could make it to the alley and rip the filthy bastard's hand off the girl, the boy was already flying back, stumbling and hitting the opposite wall hard. Masaomi screeched to a stop in the middle of the empty street, looking for whoever could have moved such a big guy. And then his eyes fell on the girl.

She had taken a step away from the wall, legs slightly bent and arms held in front of her with her hands balled into fists. A fighting stance. But the thing that astonished Masaomi the most was her face. The frightened eyes and whimpering mouth were gone. Instead her lips were pulled back in a slight snarl, her eyes hard and cold. It was a total transformation. The scared, defenseless girl had disappeared, replaced by another, stronger girl who seemed more than capable of holding her own.

The two remaining thugs just stood there, gob smacked, shocked looks moving from the girl, to their leader, dizzily sprawled on the alley floor, and back again.

A moment later their thoughts came back online and they scowled menacingly at the girl. She was unmoved.

The boy with the ponytail charged at her first, but she was ready. As soon as he was close enough, the girl delivered a perfect round house kick to the creep's face, throwing him out on the street. Not a moment later, the rat boy took a swing. She ducked, his arm sailing right over her head. He swung a little too hard and threw himself off balance. Quickly, the girl hopped back up and, taking advantage of the rat's confusion, took hold of both of his shoulders. Pulling her leg back, she delivered a swift kick to the area between his legs. Masaomi couldn't help but cringe as well as the shorter boy leaned over, clutching his wounded appendage. But the girl wasn't done yet. The boy, who was doubled over, had left his back open, allowing the girl to drive her elbow in between his shoulder blades and sending him face first into the asphalt.

Masaomi was speechless. He couldn't take his eyes off this strange girl. She fought like a professional, yet her moves were so fluid and graceful, it looked like she was dancing. And she was so fast. Masaomi was having trouble keeping up with her.

_Who _is_ this girl?_ He thought, mesmerized. She had seemed so frail, but now he could see how strong she really is. Unexpectedly, he felt his heart skip a beat. He was so entranced by the mystery girl, that he didn't see the shadows stir.

Suddenly, two large arms sprang out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around the girl. The leader had gotten up when her back was turned, and now she was trapped. He squeezed her harder into his chest until she cried out.

"You think you can mess with me and my gang?" He asked. Masaomi had to take a step back in shock. A trickle of blood was streaming down his forehead and matting his hair. He looked demented. His eyes were opened as far as they could go, bulging out of his head and his grin was wide, a shining row of menacing teeth glowing in the shadows, spots of blood between them. He squeezed again and the girl cried out louder.

Once again, Masaomi was about to leap to her defense when she started to move. Her tiny hands wrapped around his huge arms and she spread her feet wide. Grunting, she started to pull.

_What is she doing? He's three times her size! She'll never be able to move him._

The thug had the same idea and started to laugh. A low chuckle at first, it slowly began to escalate into howling as she continued to struggle. But then the laughter died away. He was starting to move.

Slowly at first, his feet sliding back inch by inch. Then, with a sudden jerk, the girl screamed out with the force of her load and flipped the guy.

She _flipped _him.

Had Masaomi not been struck dumb himself, he would have wished he could see the look on the guy's face as she hurled him into the alleyway. He waited a few silent moments, but there was no movement.

How was it possible for a girl so small to even move a guy so big?

Leaning against the corner of the opening to the alley, the girl hunched over, taking in long, ragged breaths. Pale hands shaking, she reminded Masaomi of the frightened girl she had been only moments ago. Her blonde hair fell in front of her eyes, shadowing her face. It then struck Masaomi that the color was familiar somehow.

There was movement on the street. The ponytail boy had started getting up. Clumsily, he rose to his knees, then to his feet. Taking a shaky step, he stumbled onto the ground at Masaomi's feet.

Masaomi looked at him. Thinking about how the guy had looked at the girl with hungry eyes and unclean thoughts. The anger he had been feeling all came rushing back. Scowling, he lifted the boy by the front of his shirt and glared into his wide, frightened eyes.

"I never want to see you trying to hurt a girl, _ever again!_" And with that, Masaomi delivered a sharp, strong blow to the guy's face. Immediately, blood spurted from his nose and he slumped over in Masaomi's grasp.

A gasp brought his attention to the alley.

The girl had stepped into the lamp light and was staring at Masaomi, his fist still clasping the boy's shirt. His face softened and he could feel his fingers going slack; the bleeding boy slipped from his grasp and collapsed to the ground.

She was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Soft blonde hair fell to her shoulders and framed her face. Her skin was creamy pale; her cheeks tinged a pretty pink. And her lips. Her full, slightly parted lips were a wonderfully soft red. Long, dark eyelashes swooped down over large blue-green eyes. Sea foam, Masaomi would have called them.

But they looked so sad. No…they weren't sad, Masaomi thought. More…troubled. She was still breathing heavily from the fight, her chest (a very nice one Masaomi might add) rising and falling. But there was something in her eyes, something that didn't quite make sense. They looked ashamed.

_Why should she be ashamed? She was only defending herself._

A silent moment passed between them, and Masaomi decided he ought to say something. His cheeks flushed pink as he took a step forward. "Umm…"

But she was gone. She had lowered her eyes again and ducked out of the light, running down the street. Masaomi was left standing in her wake, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of her attackers and the eerily creeping silence.

_Who was that girl?_

Masaomi stared after her for a moment before numbly walking away, leaving the thugs behind. There was no way he was going to be caught by the police standing in the middle of the near massacre.

He had no idea who that girl was, but as he walked, he was only aware of one thing. He wanted to see her again.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

xxxxx

The next morning Masaomi shuffled into school. He had stayed up most of the night thinking about what had happened. And of course, he had been thinking about that girl as well.

He thought of her even now, sitting at his desk while his friends tried to snap him out of his stupor.

"Uh…sorry, what?" Masaomi asked, blinking away the film that had settled over his eyes.

"Is something wrong, Kida-kun? You seem really…docile."

"Yeah, and it's kind of freaking us out."

Masaomi looked at the small group of boys surrounding his desk, gazing at each one. Then he cracked a smile. "Sorry guys!" He said, interlacing his fingers behind his head. "Guess I was up too late chatting to girls, didn't get enough sleep!" He chuckled. His classmates just mumbled to themselves and returned to their seats as the teacher took the front of the class.

"Alright students take out your exercise books and open to page 22…"

Twenty minutes passed, but Masaomi hardly seemed to notice. His mind wavered in and out, always returning to the blonde girl. When he called her image back to his memories, certain details he hadn't really paid attention to jumped out. Like, how the girl had been too fair, her eyes too wide. She hadn't really looked Japanese…

There was a knock at the door. It slid open to reveal Mitsuki-sensei, one of the other teachers at the school. He poked his head in and smiled at the class. "Good morning! Hoshi-sensei, may I speak to you?"

"Oh, Mitsuki-sensei, come in, come in." Masaomi's teacher motioned emphatically. Mitsuki-sensei turned to someone standing outside of the room, just out of sight, before he walked in.

"Wait here a moment," he told them. Walking to the front of the classroom, he and Hoshi-sensei began talking quietly. The students started whispering amongst themselves.

"What's going on?"

"I can't hear what they're saying."

"Did something happen?"

_This is weird, _Masaomi thought, _I wonder what's going on._

The two teachers spoke in hushed tones. Mitsuki would motion to the door and Hoshi would nod, then they would put their heads and whisper some more. Finally, Hoshi-sensei smiled. "I understand, bring her in."

"Thank you." Mitsuki-sensei walked back towards the door. "Have a good day everyone," he called. To the person outside, he said, "You can go in now." And then he was gone.

The door slid open and a girl walked in. When Masaomi saw her, he had to try very hard to keep himself in his seat.

It was _her. _The girl from the other night. Masaomi could hardly believe it, but there she stood, wearing the girl's school uniform and looking shy.

She was just as beautiful as she had been in the alley way, perhaps even more so now that she wasn't illuminated by harsh street lamp light. Masaomi could here his blood rushing in his ears. What was she doing there? He wanted so badly to stand up and make her notice him, to say "Hello, it's me, from last night. Do you remember?" But he couldn't make his body follow the command.

She was glancing slowly around the classroom, and then her sea foam eyes fell on Masaomi. Their gazes met for awhile, locked intensely, unable to move. Her eyes widened a fraction and sudden realization flooded her features. Quickly, she turned and faced the front of the classroom. Masaomi couldn't help but feel disappointed and a little sad.

As she started towards the front of the class, the students around Masaomi started whispering excitedly.

"Wow, she's really pretty."

"She looks English. Do you think she's English?"

"She looks just like a character from a shoujo manga!" one girl squealed.

As Masaomi watched her, the corners of the girl's mouth turned up in a small smile. _Huh, _he thought, _so she does understand Japanese._

"Alright, class, settle down," Hoshi-sensei commanded. "Now this," she motioned to the girl beside her, "is your new classmate. Her name is Rowan Kito and she is from America. Now, Rowan is fluent in Japanese but she is still new to our culture so please, welcome her and help her to fit in here."

Rowan bowed to the classroom. "Please take care of me."

"Rowan, you can just take a seat right there and I will get you a work book.

"Thank you." The entire class seemed to have trained their eyes on Rowan as she walked to her seat in the middle of the room, setting her satchel down by her feet. Her desk was positioned directly diagonal from Masaomi's, giving him a perfect view of the back of her head. At first he just watched how she sat, back fairly straight, ignoring the stares and hushed whispers. But, then he noticed her hair. It was an unusual shade of blonde, dark, almost light brown. It shimmered in the sunlight falling through the open window, and soon Masaomi found himself wondering if her hair would be as soft as it looked. And then it hit him.

Her hair, that odd shade was familiar. _That girl._ The girl from the other day, standing on the sidewalk with the map had been the girl sitting a few feet away from him. Rowan was the girl from the alley, who was the girl from the sidewalk.

If there had been any doubt before, it was completely forgotten now. _I have to talk to her, _he thought.

So Masaomi waited patiently for the bell, keeping his thoughts tied to his no-longer-mystery girl.

xxxxx

Masaomi was going to die. Not literally of course, but he felt as though he would if the bell didn't ring soon. Lunch hour was next and Mikado and Anri would be coming to meet him soon. The plan was to ask Rowan to have lunch with them. But he would have to be quick. Two girls up front had been sneaking peeks at her and whispering to each other for the past twenty minutes. He had to make it to her first.

The lunch bell rang and everyone started to put their work books away. Masaomi moved at a painfully average pace, not wanting to seem over excited. The two girls were edging towards Rowan, though she didn't notice as she slid her book into her leather satchel. The two looked unsure of themselves, nudging one another and giving each other questioning looks. Mikado and Anri were waiting at the door, waving at Masaomi to go and join them just as the girls decided to walk towards Rowan. Time to move.

In one swift motion, Masaomi got out of his seat, waving frantically at Anri and Mikado to come inside as he slipped around the front of Rowan's desk, blocking the two girls from her sight. He heard the two scoff behind him. A quiet "whatever," was mumbled as the two, arm in arm walked out of the classroom, noses held high. _Denied._

"Hi there!" Masaomi leaned a hand on Rowan's desk and flashed his most charming smile. She paused, satchel resting in her lap, to flick her round sea foam eyes up at him in mild surprise. Masaomi had to take a step to keep from falling backwards.

"Hello." She replied.

Masaomi stuck out his hand. "I'm Masaomi Kida."

Rowan took his hand gently. "Rowan Kito. Nice to meet you."

"Kito? Wow, we have similar sounding last names. It must be fate!" Rowan giggled lightly. The sound brought a smile to Masaomi's mouth. A little ways away Mikado and Anri were approaching. "Oh, Rowan-chan, these are my friends, Mikado Ryugamine and Anri Sonohara. Guys, this is Rowan Kito, she's a new student." Mikado and Anri bowed to Rowan, who stood to return the gesture. The three swapped pleasantries while Masaomi waited.

"So, Rowan-chan," Masaomi interjected once they were finished. "Seeing as you're new, would you like to eat lunch with us?"

"Oh. I would love to. If that's alright with you two."

Mikado waved her concern away as he and Anri smiled. "Of course we don't mind." He said hurriedly. "We would enjoy your company."

So the group of four made their way up to their usual spot on the rooftop. Mikado and Masaomi pointed out the library and study halls to Rowan as they passed them on their way. Every so often Anri would pipe up and add to the tour. When they finally reached the roof everyone took a seat and grabbed their lunches.

Masaomi, Anri, and Mikado each pulled out a bento from their bags and lifted their lids hungrily. But despite their ravishing hunger they had to stop when they saw what Rowan was taking out of her bag. A brown paper sac.

It was so American that it took them by surprise. They watched intently as she opened the bag and pulled out a sandwich, a banana, a can of juice, a small bag of chips, and two tiny, bite-sized chocolates. Rowan was just unwrapping her sandwich when she noticed their questioning stares. She laughed uneasily and gestured to her sandwich. "I'm still not used to Japanese food and I wasn't sure how to make a bento. Also I was really craving a cheese sandwich."

The three all nodded in understanding. Then, to the surprise of Mikado and Masaomi, Anri held out her bento to Rowan. "W-would you like to t-try something from my lunch?" Anri's face was pink and her hands shook lightly from the fear and anxiety of reaching out to someone new. But the girl sitting next to her seemed so nice and Anri desperately wanted to change her shy personality that she decided to give it a shot.

Rowan looked down into the offered box. Anri's hand continued to tremble. Then Rowan smiled. "Thank you Sonohara-san, that's so kind. Here, you can try my lunch too if you would like." Anri felt relief wash over her as she handed her lunch to the smiling blonde girl.

The two girls huddled together for a few moments swapping food and explaining the different items to each other. Occasionally, a giggle would bubble out from Rowan and Anri would smile gently. Mikado leaned into Masaomi and whispered, "This is so weird. I've never seen Anri become comfortable in front of someone so fast before." Masaomi nodded dumbly as he watched, a little jealously if he were being honest.

The girls leaned back to join the group. It turned out they had each split their lunch down the middle and given one half to the other. Masaomi really wanted to try some of Rowan's lunch but didn't let himself say so out loud.

Mikado coughed nervously to draw everyone's attention. "Uh…so Kito-san, you're from America right? But Kito is not an American name."

"Oh, no it's not. I'm a quarter Japanese." _Geez,_ Masaomi thought, _this girl is just full of surprises._

"Is that on your mother's side, or your father's?" Masaomi asked.

"My father's side." She said finally. "His father was Japanese. And my grandmother was Swedish. I think they met when my grandmother's family went to Japan on vacation. They were staying for a month. My grandparents met and they fell in love." The smile on Rowan's face was so sweet and gentle. It was like she was watching her grandparents all those years ago. "My grandmother's father wasn't pleased with the match because my grandmother was from a wealthy family and he wanted her marry another wealthy Swedish man. But my grandmother was persistent. It wasn't until they eloped to America that her father finally realized that they were in love. He invited them back to Switzerland for a proper wedding and then they moved back to America. My family has been there ever since."

"That's an amazing story," Anri whispered, amazed. Rowan nodded and smiled at everyone's bemused expressions. None of them had expected a story, and yet this girl had just shared with them part of her family's history. And they had only just met.

"It sounds like something from a TV drama." Masaomi told her.

"Yes, it's my favorite story. When I was young I would make my grandmother tell it to me over and over when she and my grandfather came to visit. Um, sorry if I caught you by surprise. I wasn't planning to spill the whole story of my family. I just get carried away sometimes." She blurted out the last part, face flushed in embarrassment as turned back to her lunch.

_This girl sure is a little strange, _Masaomi thought as he watched her. Then he looked at Anri and Mikado, both sitting calmly like a pair of wise, old people. And then he looked at himself, at his messy uniform and his mixed up life. _Then again aren't we all?_

Mikado placed his chopsticks down gently and resumed his role as attentive host. "What part of America are you from, Kito-san?"

Rowan swallowed the rice Anri had given her and said, "I'm from Seattle, Washington, on the west coast."

"Oh, I see. So why did you move to Japan?"

For a split second Rowan's body became still and her smile dropped slightly, but it was gone as fast as it came. She looked down at her hands which had started to play with her empty sandwich bag. "My family…thought that it would be good for my education. Because, you know, schools in Japan are much more advanced than schools in America." She smiled at them all again, but it looked stiff and strained.

Anri and Mikado didn't seem to notice. "Wow, your family must love you very much to move to another country just for your schooling." Rowan nodded and a comfortable silence fell on the group once more.

But Masaomi couldn't stop watching Rowan, her motions were jerky and she sat quietly. What had come over her? Something happened when Mikado asked that question, something in Rowan had changed. But it seemed he was the only one who noticed it.

Masaomi let the odd moment drop and the rest of their lunch went smoothly. Conversation was light and everyone enjoyed themselves, and by the time the bell rang to end lunch Rowan had relaxed. Masaomi didn't give the matter another thought.

xxxxx

The school day was over and everyone was packing up. Masaomi wanted to walk out with Rowan but the room was quickly clearing out and she was taking her time packing away her items. When she finally began to rise from her seat and Masaomi started towards her, the teacher called her over to have a word. Not wanting to creep her out by hanging around, Masaomi just decided to leave.

He walked through the halls slowly, running through the events of the day. Rowan Kito was an interesting girl. At school she was kind and gentle, quiet and happy. But that look on her face when Mikado mentioned her move, and that night in the alley with those thugs…those weren't the actions of a normal, mild-mannered girl. Something was up, and Masaomi desperately wanted to find out what. But how? He couldn't just ask her straight out….or could he?

Stepping outside, he found Mikado and Anri waiting for him. "What took you so long?" Mikado asked, concerned.

Masaomi laughed and waved him away. "I was just admiring all of the feminine beauty on display, don't worry about me."

Anri looked away, awkward and uncomfortable. Mikado gave him that same exasperated look he always gave Masaomi when he talked about girls that way. "Alright, let's just get going."

Right at that moment, Masaomi's attention was caught by blonde hair, blown gently by the mild breeze, disappearing towards the front entrance. He blanched for a moment. "Uh…on second thought, I'll catch up with you guys later." He took off.

"But where—" But Masaomi was already gone, disappearing around the entrance after Rowan—in the complete opposite direction of his home. Mikado shook his head, sighing at the antics of his best friend. Then he remembered who was standing right beside him and his sudden situation. Alone with Anri. He was alone with Anri. He blushed profusely as he turned to her. "So, I guess we'll get going them?"

Anri smiled and nodded. They walked out together.

It didn't take long for Masaomi to catch up to Rowan. She was taken by surprise when he ran up right beside him, breathing quickly and grinning. "Mind if I walk you home?" He asked.

"Um…no, I don't mind." She turned her eyes back forward, school bag dangling from her hands.

"So, where do you live?" When she told him, he stared at her. "Really?" he asked. "That's a pretty nice apartment building."

"It's alright," she said lightly. "It's got a roof and four walls so it suits me fine."

Masaomi nodded and the two fell silent, the only sounds coming from the traffic and the chatter of classmates walking in the same direction.

They walked for a long time, darting across streets and taking respite from the warm sun in the shade of overpasses. They took a short cut and neared a river, walking along its grassy banks. The traffic nearby had thinned out and there were no other students. They were along.

Masaomi blew out a short sigh. If he was going to ask her about what he saw, he had to do it now. _Now or never._

"Rowan?"

"Yeah?"

"Look, I wanted to ask you about the other night, in the alleyway."

Rowan slowed down and looked up at Masaomi. Her eyes were unreadable. "Oh," was all she said.

Masaomi stopped and Rowan followed suit. He turned to the clear water of the river and watched the sun dance across its surface. He sighed again, unsure of how to go on. "I saw you—" he turned to her, "I didn't imagine that right?"

Rowan shook her head and looked into his eyes. "No," she said. "You didn't imagine that."

He had no idea why, but hearing that made him feel so relieved. His shoulders relaxed and he crossed his arms behind his head. "So who taught you how to fight like that?"

"My brother. He wanted me to learn how to defend myself in case he wasn't around. He was always a little over protective."

Masaomi scoffed, not unkindly, and smiled. "You can say that again. I mean, you really took care of those thugs! That big guy was running scared and—"

A tiny hand gripped his sleeve and he looked down at Rowan. Her eyes had gone large and round and there was an underlying hint of desperation in them. Masaomi's arms relaxed back at his sides, surprised. "You have to understand," she said. "I hate fighting. And I'm not proud of what I did."

Masaomi sputtered, completely shocked. "How can you say that? Those guys would have—they were going to—" he stopped unable to say the words. But one look at Rowan and her soft expression and realized that she knew full well what they had been planning to do to her. "You were just defending yourself." His words came out more desperate and defeated then he had meant.

"I got carried away. I won't overboard, you saw that." She turned away from him and walked a few steps up the bank, then looked back suddenly. "I just couldn't help it. I got so…mad. I can't stand people like them."

"People like them?" Masaomi ventured cautiously.

"People who go around hurting others just because they can. People who use terror and violence to get what they want because they think they're better than everyone else. People in gangs." She whispered sadly.

Masaomi looked down at the grass, screwing up his face. Hearing her words, all he could see were boys wearing yellow bandanas, fists flying in back alleys, blood and hospital visits, and himself dishing out the orders and urging everyone on through bruises and broken bones. Distractedly he flexed his hand into a fist. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

They were silent again. There seemed to be no words to speak. They stood there, listening to the river, stewing in their own thoughts. Though they stood only a few feet apart, they worlds away from each other.

Masaomi laughed nervously, forcing the sound out because he could no longer stand the tension. "It seems I've made the atmosphere heavy. This isn't exactly the kind of conversation you have with someone you just met."

Rowan smiled, relieved that he broke the silence. "No, I guess not." The sun had sunk lower, orange light reflecting on the rushing river currents. "It's getting late. You still want to walk me home?" she asked, teasingly.

Masaomi smiled, retorting sarcastically, "Yeah, I think I'm up for the challenge." The two moved on, leaving the grassy banks behind and forgetting the awkwardness of the moment. Soon they were outside of Rowan's apartment and wishing her goodnight, Masaomi watched to make sure she made it inside safely before heading home himself.

The event of the walk, the words said and the memories that were stirred still weighted heavily on Masaomi. It turned his mind in ways that he wasn't sure he wanted it to be turned. But there was one thing he was sure of; Rowan Kito was intriguingly different. And he liked different. He liked it a lot.

xxxxx

Here it is (FINALLY!) chapter two. Hope you enjoyed!


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